Thursday, 23 February 2012

Foxgloves flowers.

Foxglove is a mainstay of the spring garden, where it occasionally reseeds if it finds the site to its liking. (In fact, the pea-sized capsules produce millions of small seeds.) This beautiful plant prefers full sun or medium shade and occasionally persists for 3-4 years if the border it’s growing in is open and the clump isn’t crowded by neighboring plants. It does best in a moderately fertile, well-drained soil that receives some water during the summer.

The plant is easy to grow from seed, which is best started outside in a flowerpot or flat in May or June. Just scatter the tiny seeds lightly on top of the potting mix and keep the medium moist until germination. In just 4-5 weeks, the seedlings should be ready for transplanting to a larger container. Be sure to fertilize your growing rosettes with a slow-release fertilizer.

Your foxgloves need some “in-ground” time to get established before the onset of cold weather. So when your rosettes are ready for the garden in September, make sure you plant them right where you want them for best results.

Use your foxgloves as single accent plants in the perennial border or in groups in whatever sunny spot for bold swaths of color. And remember, foxglove is toxic, so keep yours away from areas where children and pets play or where they can get into it.